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For many parents, raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear winner. Like a border conflict between neighboring countries, the parent-teen war is about boundaries: Where is the line between what I control and what you do?
Both sides want peace, but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict. In part, this is because neither is willing to admit any responsibility for starting it. From the parents’ point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents’ complete unreasonableness. And of course, the teens see it in exactly the same way, except oppositely.
In this article, I’ll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the dilemma. The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things. Examples include the color of the teen’s hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom, the preferred style of clothing, the child’s failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends. Second, blaming. The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong. Third, needing to be right. It doesn’t matter what the topic is — politics, the laws of physics, or the proper way to break an egg — the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong, for both wish to be considered an authority — someone who actually knows something — and therefore to command respect. Unfortunately, as long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other, they’ll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress.Why does the author compare the parent-teen war to a border conflict?
A.Both can continue for generations. |
B.Both are about where to draw the line. |
C.Neither has any clear winner. |
D.Neither can be put to an end. |
What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.The teens blame their parents for starting the conflict. |
B.The teens agree with their parents on the cause of the conflict. |
C.The teens accuse their parents of misleading them. |
D.The teens tend to have a full understanding of their parents. |
Parents and teens want to be right because they want to ________.
A.give orders to the other | B.know more than the other |
C.gain respect from the other | D.get the other to behave properly |
What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
A.Causes for the parent-teen conflicts. |
B.Examples of the parent-teen war. |
C.Solutions for the parent-teen problems. |
D.Future of the parent-teen relationship. |
Where do you think this passage can be found?
A.In a report. | B.In a letter. |
C.In a novel. | D.In a textbook. |
Today, ultrasonic(超声的) waves are being put to work in laboratories and factories. If an ultrasound generator is placed in a liquid, the waves move the liquid back and forth hundreds of thousands of times each second. This causes materials to mix quickly or to dissolve(使分解,使溶解) in liquids. Paint manufacturers(制造商) use ultrasound to do a better job of blending colors. The companies that make film for your camera find that mixing chemicals by the use of sound waves will produce a more sensitive film.
The new lightweight(轻量的) type of washing machine uses ultrasonic waves to get clothes clean. Its special ultrasound generator is put into a pail of soapy water containing the soiled clothes. The sound waves drive the soapy water back and forth through the cloth so fast that everything is soon clean. There is also a new kind of dishwasher that works in much the same way.
Ultrasonic waves can shake a liquid so fast that tiny holes form all through it. The liquid is actually torn apart by this action. Almost as soon as these holes are made, they fall together again. The result is a powerful pounding action. In the dairy industry this is used for the double purpose of making homogenized(使均匀,使匀质) milk and sterilizing(使无菌) it at the same time. If you look at some raw milk with a microscope, you find that it is made up of little drops of butter fat floating around in a watery liquid. In order to make milk easier to digest, these fat droplets(微粒) may be broken up by forcing the milk through very small openings. The result is called homogenized milk. When the ultrasonic method is used, the sound waves not only break up the droplets but also kill the germs in the milk by pounding them to pieces. (from www.nmet168.com)
1. Why does a paint manufacturer use ultrasound to do a better job of blending colors?
A. Because it is cheap to use ultrasound to blend colors.
B. Because the waves move the liquid so quickly that it can make materials mix quickly or dissolve in liquids.
C. Because they can mix chemicals by the use of sound waves.
D. Because the waves can clean the paint.
2. What properties does ultrasound wave have?
A. Homogenizes and sterilizes the milk. B. Mix materials and break droplets.
C. Kill germs and sterilize milk. D. Move liquids quickly.
3. What exists in the raw milk?
A. Little drops of butter fat. B. Small holes.
C. Fat droplets and germs. D. Chemicals.
4. Where is ultrasound wave not used?
A. In the paint manufacture. B. In the shop mixing bread flour.
C. In the film-making company. D. In the dairy industry.
It is over 40 years since first atomic bomb was dropped on a major city in Japan. Yet even now its effects are showing themselves and may continue to do so for years to come. Much effort and human energy have been used to try to prevent such a terrifying thing from happening again. So far there is no guarantee that it will not. Countries which already possess nuclear knowledge and resources have bombs stored away which are powerful enough to wipe out all life on earth. But this is not all. Other countries, which previously were not so advanced in technology, are gradually buying materials that can be used for making atomic devices. This nuclear energy will naturally be of great value in helping the economy of poorer nations.
The generation of electricity through nuclear power came directly from the original work on the atom bomb. Because of the increase in demand for energy and the possibility of decreasing supplies of oil and natural gas, the interest in electricity has increased. One of the by-products of nuclear power stations is plutonium (钸) produced from unclear fuel: plutonium is ingredient (成分) in bomb-making. It means that there are far more opportunities for the manufacture of bombs.
This brings the problem to a full circle again. How can something so valuable and useful be controlled so that it works for the benefit and not the destruction of man?
9. The effects of dropping the first atomic bomb ________.
A. are not overB. may go on forever
C. could last much longer D. will not be over in the near future
10. The writer says that enough atomic bombs have already been manufactured to ________.
A. wipe out JapanB. last forever
C. act as a peace-keeping device D. destroy all living things
11. The advantage of less developed countries being able to make atomic devices is that it ______.
A. gives them more opportunities for work B. will help poor countries to become richer
C. will enable them to make better explosivesD. will be of great value to them
12. The second paragraph tells us that the increased demand for electricity today ________.
A. has led to the decrease in supplies of oil
B. means that more countries are interested in nuclear power
C. has increased the risk of accidental explosions
D. has increased the very means of producing more atomic bombs
After inventing dynamites(炸药), Swedish-born Alfred Nobel became a very rich man. However, he foresaw its universally destructive powers too late. Nobel preferred not to be remembered as the inventor of dynamite, so in 1895, just two weeks before his death, he created a fund to be used for awarding prizes to people who had made worthwhile contributions to mankind. Originally there were five awards: literature, physics, chemistry, medicine, and peace. Economics was added in 1968, just sixty-seven years after the first awards ceremony.
Nobel’s original legacy of nine million dollars was invested, and the interest on this sum is used for the awards which vary from $ 30,000 to $125,000.
Every year on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death, the awards (gold medal, illuminated diploma, and money) are presented to the winners. Sometimes politics plays an important role in the judges’ decision. Americans have won numerous science awards, but relatively few literature prizes.
No awards were presented from 1940 to 1942 at the beginning of World War II. Some people have won two prizes, but this is rare; others have shared their prizes.
1. What did the first award ceremony take place?
A. 1895. B. 1901. C. 1962. D. 1968.
2. The Nobel prize was established to ________.
A. honor the inventor of dynamite B. recognize worthwhile contributions to humanity
C. resolve political differences D. spend money
3. In which area have Americans received the most awards?
A. Literature. B. Economics. C. Peace. D. Science.
4. Which of the following statement is NOT true?
A. Awards vary in money value.
B. Ceremonies are held on December 10 to commemorate Nobel’s invention.
C. Politics can be of importance in selecting the winners.
D. A few individuals have won two awards.
In parts of Africa, the sky is filled with a dark cloud. But this is no rain cloud. It is a living cloud made of billions of locusts that are traveling across the continent eating everything in their path.
And in the battle to stop this disaster, a radio station in Senegal, West Africa, is offering listeners 50 kilograms of rice if they can catch and kill 50 kilograms of locusts. The radio station is in one of Senegal’s worst affected regions.
This is West Africa’s biggest locust disaster in 15 years, and it is moving east, causing huge damage to crops. As they move, they breed, and increase their number and will soon threaten Sudan in the northeast of Africa. Some say it could reach Asia.
Experts say the great damage to crops in areas already suffering from food shortages and war could cause many people to go hungry. Governments in the region are not well equipped to fight the pest.
Although leaders of 12 countries have agreed on a plan, it is not expected to be enough. “We are now treating 6,000 hectares per day with pesticide, but we need to treat 20,000 hectares per day in order to have any hope of controlling this disaster,” said Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Babah, director of locust control in Mauritania.
Requests are being made for international aid, which is the only way to limit the crisis, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization warned.
1. The purpose of offering people rice for catching locusts in Senegal is ________.
A. to get more people to eat rice so as to leave less for locusts
B. to get more people involved in the war on the locusts
C. to prevent more people from starvation
D. to get more people to listen to the radio report on locusts
2. Which of the following is not the reason for West Africans going hungry?
A. Locust disaster causes the great damage to crops.
B. Food supply is far from the need of the people.
C. These regions are affected by the war.
D. Governments are unwilling to fight the pest.
3. It can be concluded that, in order to end the locust disaster, ________.
A. leaders of 12 countries in West Africa should call on their people to take action
B. insects experts should be sent to these regions
C. other countries outside Africa should keep close watch on their own lands
D. Help from all over the world is in urgent demand
4. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Food shortage in Africa. B. International aid to Africa.
C. The insects attack on Africa. D. Terrible storm in Africa.
Language learning begins with listening. Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and later starters are often long listeners. Most children will “obey” spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word “obey” is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises. Any attempt to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight, pain, friendliness, and so on. But since these can’t be said to show the baby’s intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new words to their store. This self-imitation(模仿)leads on to deliberate(有意的)imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech. It is a problem we need to get out. The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a particular situation and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world .Thus the use at seven months of “mama” as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses it at other times for his father, his dog, or anything else he likes. Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself, I doubt, however whether anything is gained when parents take advantage of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds.
1.. Before children start speaking,what is greatly different?________.
A. the amount of listening
B. a number of listening
C. the sound of listening
D. the meaning of listening
2. starters are often long listeners, the sentence means one can ________.
A. be hard to speak fluently
B. begin to speak quickly
C. start with listening
D. often take a long time in learning to listen properly
3. these can not be said to show a baby’s intention to speak, these refer to ________.
A. pain
B. happiness
C. kindness
D. above of all
4. according to the writer, we can draw a conclusion that ________.
A. children are fond of imitating
B. these imitation can be considered as speech
C. children get more experience of the world
D. children’s use of words are often meaningless when a child is six months, he
5. When a child is six months, he can ________.
A. call his mama
B. imitate many languages
C. store new words
D. play with sounds